When did you start feeling a bond with your cat?

I'm a first time pet owner, and I adopted my first cat a little over 2 weeks ago. At first, I felt immense regret over my descision and was crying every night because I missed my old life where I was free and independent and wasn't responsible for another living being. My old life where I could enjoy being alone in my room doing whatever I wanted. I wanted to rehome her because I felt I wasn't ready for a cat after all, but I stuck it out.

Now, I don't feel as much regret as the beginning and I'm starting to adjust a little bit. But I still miss my old life, back when I wasn't responsible for a kitten. In the start, I thought I'd be happier if I just rehomed her. But now, I can't imagine giving her away and living in a home without her, which is an improvement.

Although I'm doing better now, I'm still struggling with not really "loving" her yet. How long did it take for you to start loving your cat?

EXTRA: My mom was the one in our house who didn’t want a cat at all. But now, she’s the one who loves the cat the most. She says it’s like she has another child. Meanwhile I was the one in our house who wanted a cat the most. But as you can tell, I’m the one who loves the cat the least. Maybe it has something to do with my mom already knowing what it’s like to have human kids, so a cat isn’t much of a change to her. While me, who is used to being alone and having full freedom over what I do with my day has to adjust to a big change. (Also I really dislike children 😭😭😭)